An example of a related art chip resistor includes four electrodes provided on a rectangular chip-shaped resistance body. In the related art chip resistor, the four electrodes are provided on one surface of the resistance body. A cross-shaped insulating layer is formed on a surface of the resistance body and the four electrodes are provided on the surface of the resistance body in a region where the insulating layer is not formed. In order to manufacture the chip resistor, a grid-type insulating layer is formed on the surface of the resistance body and a conductive member that constitutes the electrodes is formed in the remaining region of the surface to obtain a plate-shaped resistor assembly. Here, the dimension of the conductive member that constitutes the electrodes is defined by a relationship with the insulating layer. Then, the resistor assembly is cut in predetermined positions so that a plurality of chip resistors each having four electrodes are obtained.
The chip resistor having the four electrodes may be used as follows. Among the four electrodes, two electrodes (for example, two electrodes separated from each other in a longitudinal direction of the resistance body) are used as a pair of current electrodes (main electrodes) and remaining two electrodes are used as a pair of voltage electrodes (sub-electrodes). When a current of an electric circuit is detected, the pair of current electrodes is electrically connected to the electric circuit so that the current of the electric circuit flows to the pair of current electrodes. A voltage meter is connected to the pair of voltage electrodes. Since a resistance value of the chip resistor is already known, when voltage drop in the resistance body of the chip resistor is measured by using the voltage meter, it is possible to know a value of the current that flows to the resistance body by applying the measured value to the Ohm's equation. When the chip resistor is used, for example, the chip resistor is mounted on a circuit board. For example, the chip resistor is put on the circuit board so that the four electrodes are positioned on four conductive terminals formed on the circuit board and is soldered to be mounted on the circuit board.
However, in the above-described chip resistor, when the resistor assembly is cut to obtain the chip resistor, if cutting positions are shifted from desired positions, an error is generated in the dimension of the four electrodes of the chip resistor obtained by cutting the resistor assembly. For example, when an error is generated in a width of each of the electrodes, a resistance value of the resistance body sandwiched between the pair of current electrodes and the pair of voltage electrodes does not become a desired value and a value of a current measured by using the chip resistor becomes incorrect.